The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) on Monday shifted the upcoming edition of the Copa America football tournament to Brazil as original host nation Argentina pulled out at the last minute due to a sudden spike in COVID-19 cases.
“The 2021 Copa America will be played in Brazil!” CONMEBOL said in a statement.
“The start and finish dates are confirmed. The host cities and the matches will be revealed by CONMEBOL in the coming hours.”
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Argentina said its COVID-19 outbreak meant it could not longer host the world’s oldest football tournament.
Meanwhile, Brazil is also witnessing a high surge in cases as more than 450,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the country.
Significantly, Brazil has reported the continent’s highest case numbers and deaths. It also ranks second highest in the world for both daily reported cases and deaths at present.
Earlier on May 20, CONMEBOL had removed Colombia as the co-host of this year’s Copa America amid civil unrest and surging coronavirus cases in the country.
Notably, Colombia, along with Argentina, was scheduled to host the showpiece event in four of its cities.
Also, the final was slated to be held at Colombia’s Barranquilla’s Estadio Metropolitano on July 10.